Oil showdown

From January 1, 2007, the export of Russian oil to Belarus will be subject to duty. The same as for countries that are not members of the Customs Union - it currently amounts to $180 per ton of oil. Currently, duties are not paid at all when exporting oil to Belarus. As Kommersant writes, this decision will deprive the Belarusian budget of at least 1.7 billion dollars a year, and will give Russia 3.6 billion in additional income. The newspaper believes that an economic war between the two countries of the Union State is being prepared.